Tag: l.a.
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l.a.

Berklee Blogs catches up with Heather Rajcic, a Music Business /Management major and fall intern, as she reflects on her internship with Clearsongs, a full service music supervision company in Los Angeles. In today’s blog, Heather discusses the concept of having passion for your career. Can others misinterpret your passion? Is there such a thing as too much?

Internships are a funny thing. They are basically the bridge between “real life” and school: You feel grown up and yet you are just getting started. I have to sometimes remind myself that it is OK to not know everything. The entire reason I am interning right now is to gain enough experience so that when I do actually find a job, I will be ready and I WILL know everything.

Sometimes I think I take my career and school work too seriously. Nobody actually busts their butt for unpaid work do they? OK, well maybe us students are the exception. I was always taught to do my best and work hard at everything because when you take yourself seriously, others take you seriously. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to constantly seek perfection, especially if what you are doing means a lot to you.

This is something I have wondered during my time as an intern. It is good to be enthusiastic about what you love, but is there a point where you cross the line? Can your passion and excitement to do what you love actually hurt your chances of doing it?

Berklee Blogs catches up with Heather Rajcic, a Music Business /Management major and fall intern, as she reflects on her internship with Clearsongs, a full service music supervision company in Los Angeles. In today’s blog, Heather discusses adjusting her expectations of what she thought an internship would be and how supervisors are prepared to help advance her career…

My first two months at my internship with Clearsongs were incredible! There was so much information being passed around that I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed and excited all at the same time. Immediately, they welcomed me into their close-knit group and talked about all of the things they want me to accomplish personally during my time with them. I was completely flattered that they would think of me like that and not just as their coffee runner or unpaid assistant. I have to admit, movies influenced my idea of what an internship would be like and that is kind of the image I had going into this. Turns out, it is more than I could ever have hoped for. The work they have given me so far has already helped me better understand the ins and outs of music supervision.

I upload and import TONS of music every day, add up timings on cue sheets for songs used in the shows, update and keep track of all social media sites for Clearsongs, and have already been asked to pull music for specific scenes! Obviously they are mostly exercises to help me start the process of thinking like a music supervisor, but it is still awesome to be a part of it! I also like that my supervisor has asked me to start doing song research for the songs she chooses for shows. It is important that they find the exact and correct information for who owns the master (sound recording) and sync (copyright) rights. She says this is 80 percent of a music supervisor’s job and for the first few years of her own career, that was all she did.

At a school which fosters musical creativity like Berklee, students occasionally lose interest when we explain that most of our internships take place in a business setting- particularly if the student’s major or personal career goals are centered around performing. You can almost see them thinking, “Right. I want to stand up on a stage, not sit behind a desk. I think I’ll pass…”

It’s an understandable reaction when a student is (and should be) so engrossed in their music. That’s the most important thing, right? Of course. But ask any (successful) musician and they’ll tell you that being a professional, earning performer requires a surprising amount of business finesse.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? As a performer you’re running a small business, selling your music and yourself as products. You’ll handle contracts, build professional relationships, and perhaps produce, market and sell your own work. To see what I mean, check out this interview by one of our former interns, Gary Lazzara, when he interviews Berklee grad and Black Eyed Peas collaborator Keith Harris. Even if you outsource these necessary tasks, you leave yourself in the trust and mercy of promoters, marketers and agents.

With the way the industry is shifting these days, the tendency leans more and more towards a do-it-yourself model. So you better know at least a little bit about those aspects of your future career that aren’t exactly musical in nature. And what better place to learn the tricks and traps of the trade than from the inside? Why not work at a marketing company, a venue or a booking agent to learn skills for yourself and become a wise consumer of those services?

Ted Kurland Associates is a top Boston agency which books for the likes of Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. See what their Director of Marketing, David Greenberg has to say about getting the inside info (1:23) during a recent interview:

We often have to ask for a bit of clarification when a prospective intern asks this question. Often, they are either asking about the geographic placement or the industry field in which they will intern.

To begin with, Berklee interns can intern, geographically, anywhere. We have three summer-specific programs, The Summer Internship Programs in New York, LA and London that are specific to those areas and include an internship, workshops with local industry leaders and furnished housing with other Berklee interns.

However, we also have a major-specific internship that earns two general electives in your major and an Internship Certificate Program that does not count towards graduation but lets you get your foot in the door of an internship without taking on too many extra academic assignments. Both of these programs are offered year-round and can be fulfilled in any city, anywhere. Just keep in mind that you are on your own for housing, transportation and other logistics.

It’s not too late to get in your application for Summer Internship Programs in LA and New York City!

Both programs offer furnished housing with other interning Berklee Students, industry workshops with leading music business professionals and the opportunity to gain valuable skills and contacts in the music industry.

The deadline to apply is February 10, 2012.

You can check out the details and download applications for all our programs at http://www.berklee.edu/internships/. In the meantime, check out this video of what recent participants have to say about interning in Los Angeles: the epicenter of the global entertainment industry…